Guard missing recruiting goal yet meets staffing levels

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The Missouri Army National Guard missed its recruitment goal by about 16 percent in the last year but was able to retain enough soldiers to meet its overall goal for staff levels.

Some 1,395 recruits were attracted in the year ending Sept. 30, according to 1st Lt. Tammy Spicer, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Army National Guard. That's 270 short of the state goal.

"I think it indicates that the recruiting climate has gotten tougher, and that means we need to adjust to a tougher market," said Army Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau.

Still, the Missouri Guard retained enough soldiers to exceed its goal for total force size, said Lt. Col. Regina Kilmer, Missouri's recruiting and retention commander for the Army National Guard. That so-called "end-strength" goal was 8,150; the state had 8,177 National Guard members at the end of September.

Retention of recruits has been a problem in Missouri, military officials say.

Annually, about 25 percent of Guard recruits drop out before completing basic training and specialized education, according to Spicer. Missouri has seen a rate as high as 38 percent in recent years, Kilmer said.

The Missouri Air National Guard -- whose soldier numbers are separate from the Army Guard -- has also seen recruitment drops. The 139th Airlift Wing had the state's largest recruitment goal -- 108 -- but missed it by 13 people.

The National Guard can recruit high school juniors and seniors. But the war in Iraq and the increased likelihood that a recruit could be given active duty has made some parents reluctant to give permission, said Master Sgt. Kirk Harding, a recruiter in northwest Missouri.

Nationwide, the National Guard has experienced recruitment problems that resulted in its first missed sign-up goal in a decade.

Blum said last month he expected to end the fiscal year short of the 56,000-person recruitment goal by about 5,000 soldiers.

Blum pledged to increase the number of recruiters around the country and to put more effort into targeting young people in high school and college who have not previously served in the military.

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On the Net:

Missouri National Guard: http://www.moguard.com/

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Information from: St. Joseph News-Press, http://www.stjoenews-press.com